Castro Hallowe'en Gets Scary - Thanks to Bevan Dufty and the Christian Right

Hallowe'en in the Castro is touted by Supervisor Bevan Dufty as his big contribution to the neighborhood that sent him to City Hall - and homage to his mentor Gavin Newsom, who has stood by his side all the way. Subtitled 'A Neighborhood Celebration', the event was planned by City Police, advertising executives and the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro. Band and dance input was handled by the new Entertainment Commission, headed by Terrance Alan.

Clear Channel, the San Antonio-based, radical-right company that airs only 'acceptable' artists on their over 1200 stations nationwide, was made a partner for the event in exchange, Dufty's office informed us, for running 200 Booze, Bashing and Bad Costumes spots on seven of their local stations - KIOI, called Star 101.3; KISQ, called KISS - one of over 50 western stations which have lost their local call numbers as well as all programming control; KKSF; KMEL; KNEW; KYLD, called Wild 94.9; and KSJO.

Local activists, however, wonder what all the negativity has been about - and whether it will help.

"Hallowe'en is all about bad costumes - very bad costumes," says community denizen Miss Cathy. "I love Sheriff Hennessey, but I don't know that there is any real point in having his deputies at the gates judging 'good' or 'bad' costumes. Any costume is better than just gawkers. We should have just said, 'Come in costume and have a blast!' "

His sister Iola Toomany goes further. "Having all these negative images in the publicity, spreading the word to suburban teens to come to a place where the police worry about drinking and gay-bashing, is definitely counter-productive. My day job is in publicity and writing - we would never launch a negative campaign for what is supposed to be a happy event."

In a community that virtually invented the party drug - and, as naturally followed, the clean & sober event - many objected heatedly to saying 'No Booze' when you to mean 'Clean & Sober Streets'. "This negative slant on the night is not helping. By mentioning Gay Bashing, you give it legitimacy - this should be an event where everyone gets R.E.S.P.E.C.T.," says hoofer Lila Karugg. "I think they spent too much time pandering to the troublemakers and not enough supporting our community's positive energies."

It was also commented on as ironic that one of the groups involved in planning the event was the Late Night Coalition - and police have announced they are clearing the streets at midnight. "This is not exactly Late Night," notes journalist Heather Winkley, "But it is the hour when past parties really started to groove!"

Supervisor Bevan Dufty's office asserted that Clear Channel was selected as a partner for this neighborhood event because they "are the only ones who can get the message out to the audience we are trying to reach", which the office defined as "teens and 20-somethings from Walnut Creek". They offer, however, no data to indicate which groups crashed previous Castro parties and caused trouble, nor how it was determined that Clear Channel is the best way of reaching them. Dufty's office confirms that no alternatives were considered. There was no comment on how any audience is likely to take a message featuring Gay Bashing on a network that denies the rights of the queer community and supports the current national administration's ban on differences of opinion.

Many on the street felt that using right-wing Christian stations to advertise a queer event gave too much legitimacy to their anti-gay attitude.

In addition to 1200 owned stations, for which programming is organized - in many cases taped - in San Antonio according to playlists censored following the company's right-wing convictions - the Dixie Chicks being a recently blacklisted group - Clear Channel syndicates right-wing talk shows and other programs on an estimated 7800 stations. They have been strongly behind recent GOP efforts to reduce or remove limits on media ownership, which could bring the Bay Area Clear Channel-censored newspapers and TV stations in addition to the more than a dozen radio stations and countless billboards they now control.

Clear Channel apparently balked at broadcasting the event, though, since the only non-Clear Channel station listed as a partner, Viacom's Live 105 (KITS) is broadcasting from the stage at Noe and Market. Viacom, who owns local TV stations KPIX and KBHK as well as MTV and the Sundance Channel, is also a supporter of the push to revise media ownership rules in favor of the international conglomerates.

"We may still end up having fun," says Hallowe'en fanaaatic Devine Busty, "But this negative campaign - and the midnight curfew - really haven't helped."

Story by Rhonda Wierld, Neighborhood Dufty Watch